{Ed025's Note - and its become boring all this "poor me" attitude he has BFB, he needs to grow a set and stop blaming everyone else mate..

31 Dec 2017 09:29:07
Getting beat of Chelsea or man city is one thing but to be struggling against Southampton Bristol etc is another .
Southampton had there main striker out and there best 2 defenders, pogba cost the same as half there team and monthly wage bill would buy Bristol.

31 Dec 2017 09:47:06
I agree jerd. But crap happens in football, not the first time a lower league team has beaten us and won't be the last. Happens all the time in football regardless of who or what a team is worth in wage or transfers. On any given day anything can happen. I've seen a lot of this about bristol and I think it's massively disrespectful to a team that is playing well, doing it's utmost and had a fantastic day against one of the biggest teams in the world. History tells us results like that happen all the time.

But all in all, I'm not happy with this slump, for me it has to turn around or lots of heads will roll from top to bottom.

31 Dec 2017 10:00:11
Angle
It does happen and all teams go through a slump, they normally don't blame the board, quality of there squad etc etc when they are struggling against so called lesser teams operating on a fraction of there budget .

The board and investment is a long term underlying problem that affects the future of the club and you seem to struggle to grasp it. Your point is at a lower level and keeping it simple. However, the powerhouses of European football make sure they have the best players available and buy in a position of strength. We let our position of strength wane because of years of underinvestment leading to us having a sub standard team for a European giant, or supposedly a giant.

These giants all have poor runs but underlying it is a plan, a structure that ensures it won’t be for long. That is what we have lacked and the board have that accountability.

31 Dec 2017 10:23:59
I agree that we haven't played well recently but why do teams seem to also try harder and play better against us if Southampton played like that every game they would be nowhere near the relegation zone.

{Ed025's Note - united made them look good 79, they are not a good side but put them up against an uninspired team who is littered with players who think the world owes them a living and any team will look good, it was more a case of united being poor than them looking good mate..

31 Dec 2017 10:28:20
Angel

Thanks I also read the Andy Mitten piece I think yesterday. There is a bigger picture that is starting to be seen and I for one am glad.

31 Dec 2017 11:12:36
Redman
It's smoke and mirrors pal that has been rolled out the moment the manager has hit a ruff patch .

Let's get everyone to look at what's happening off the pitch, so they don't talk about what happening on the pitch

You keep going on about underinvestment that was 5 6 years ago .
We have spent over 600 mil in the last 4 transfer windows. And you go on about " years of underinvestment "

Football is simple really.
The manager and players should be concerned with the now and why this very expensive very well paid group of players are or on this current run Man United v Bournemouth. 1.0
West Brom v man United. 1.2
Bristol city v man United. 2.1
Leicester v man United . 2.2
Man United v Burnley. 2.2
Southampton v United. 0.0

Never mind city barce or co we have spent enough to have squad to be better than our current form .
What the club needs to do to be the best in Europe or best in the EPL is one thing .

What the manager could do to get the best out of this squad is another

In fact forget money, and the bigger issues (because that's a different discussion) and ask some very basic questions.
Is this team playing well? No
Are most of our players playing well? No
Is our style of play attractive to watch? No
Are we winning games? No
Are we a better team now than at the start of the season? No
Are our players improving during the season? On the most part no
Do we look to be going forward or backwards over the course of the season?

Has the manager currently got his team motivated, and playing well to the best of its ability? No
His players playing to there potential? No . Not just the so called lesser players but the big name big investment players like pogba and lukaku? Nope.

31 Dec 2017 11:49:51
Red Man - I asked the same question the other day and wasn't surprised not to see many replies. How much do you think we should let José spend, £300m, not enough? £600m and if he wants more do we spend £1bn. At what point do we judge the manager and stop blaming lack of investment.
Yes we have underspent but let's look at Jose's signings:
Bailley - he has missed nigh on 50% of games this season, is he or when does he become injury prone. Doesn't matter how good he is if he doesn't play then he is no good to us. When fit he looks a quality player.
Lindelof - too early to judge
Pogba - for my liking he doesn't influence the game enough, especially the big games. Is he being played out of position?
Miki - least said the better, it hasn't worked out for him or us, so wish him well and move him on.
Ibra - not sure why we signed him this season expensive wages and a squad place taken up.
Lukaku - seems to be living up to his flat track bully reputation, not seen in the big games, personally I think the tactics have influenced these performances.
Magic - looked a great signing in the first few games but as the season has gone on his influence deteriorates almost weekly. Again I think tactics are a major factor with how he performs.
So all in all for me even spending £300m José isn't getting the best out of his signings so how much do you want us to give him to spend before we judge his management.

I have been pointing the higher level issues out for a long time on here so it isn’t just because we are having a poor patch. It is very relevant because our manager was very very clear at the start of the season that he was looking for another wide attacking player and the board did not deliver it. As we approach another window the manager, the very experienced manager, has flagged about our need to spend. Spending has been limited under the Glazers, you say it was 5-6 years ago, which flags a lack of understanding. It goes back to when the owners bought us and had to rely on borrowing to finance it, then put the debt on the club, we have not been strong in the market all through their time. Feels like I have to repeat myself, but Ronaldo was replaced, how? He had just won the Ballon Dor and won four more whilst his replacement now plays right back and can’t cross a ball. The owners failed us for years and relied of SAF

The board lacked a plan, so appointed two wrong managers, lacked a direction in how they wanted football played so wasted money on transfers of players who don’t fit. It is all relevant but you say football is simple, simple on the pitch perhaps but it seems the bigger issues escape you. Football is corporate now, but planning is vital even in small business, yet you dismiss it, want to keep it to the simplest level. That is fine but fans ignoring or perhaps not understanding the bigger picture is part of the reason we have the situation we have, both on and off the pitch. If you can’t see it then perhaps replying is a waste of time.

31 Dec 2017 12:25:34
Can't argue with that Keanoh. I must have been the only person who didn't want Matic. He always looks slow and cumbersome. And now we have pogba who is just strolling around.
This team needs a big kick up the Arse. And I'm not sure mourinho is the person to do it.

The answer to your question could be long but given my wife is waiting for me to take her out, I will try to be brief.

I would hope and expect Jose has provided his thoughts to the board, a SWOT type analysis around the team, identifying what he needs and why. He clearly identified a wide attacker in summer and the board failed him. Most of us have identified a general lack of true world class talent, so that player would likely need to be top end. Depending what he identified, but I would suggest it needs to not be squad fillers. The board need to look at what he recommends and decide whether they agree, if they do and trust him (after all that’s why they appointed him), pay the money. If they don’t he will likely go, either forced or walk. If he gets the players as he identified then he needs time to bed them in, if then it isn’t working his time would be up. That is when we judge him for me. I have provided such things to boards in my roles, you hope they support you especially if it is put together thoroughly, but a board would also know that if they don’t follow the recommendations and it is that lacking piece is the item that fails a process or makes the team less effective then they have partial accountability for the failure.

As to his signings, Pogba is better in a central 3 in midfield enabling him to get forward and create, maybe that is why we have been linked with that Serbian midfield player, again depends what Jose has identified. Miki is the main disappointment for me.

In summary the board need to decide is Jose right in his assessment, if he is, provide the players, then judge him.